Bull wheel flange



26 J A. i BULL WHEEL FLANGE Original Filed Jan. 17, 1941 Patented Sept. 26,1944

BULL WHEEL FLANGE James AQFox, Washington,'Pa. I

l Substituted for abandoned application Serial No.

- 374,934, January 17, 1941;

This application May 8, 1944, Serial No. 534,640 3 Claims. (01. 2425117) This application is a substitute for application No. 374,934, filed-Jan. 1'7, 1941.

.iThis invention relates to a spool construction and while applicable to such an article employed for-varioususes andin different relations, especially concerns that flange of a bull wheel used in oil and gas. well drilling,.,which is located between the major and reserve portions of the line. I, It is aprime object ,of the invention to so construct the said flange that it may greatly reduce wear on the line, especially overcoming the bending, kinking, undue tensioning and mashing thereof, as results from the passage of reserve line through the flange, notwithstanding the severe drop required of the line in passing from the outside to the inside of the spool and formationjof the, line in rolls. or layers on said spool in deepiwell drilling, even to depths greater than 8,000 feet.

2 Another objectisto provide a construction of spool or bull wheel wherein the line may pass through the flange to and from the reserve portion, guided to approximately follow the path of a coil or helix.

More specifically, I aim to provide in the inner face of the flange a novel groove extending partly around and close to the bull wheel shaft and thence communicating with a" tangential slot through the flange, having side walls oblique to said face, which flange also has a relatively low portion at the base of the slot outwardly of the periphery of the bull shaft or hub which is chamfered or curved to coact with the groove, slot and line to attain the ends stated.

Various additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawing illustrating an operative embodiment, by way of example.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a View partly in elevation and partly in central longitudinal section showing a bull wheel equipped with my improvements;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the plane of line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view partly in section but primarily showing my improved flange in perspective; and,

I generally designates a spool or bull wheel construction, that shown, by way .of example, be:

ing adapted for use in deep oil and gaswell drilling. The shaft or hub of said structure I0 is I shown at I! and is adapted to be driven or ro- Shaft in layers about the shaft II- between flanges I2 Figures 5, 6 and '7 are end elevations of modified forms.

and I3, while areserve portion is coiled in layers about such shaft outside of the flanges, with such drill line travelling or feeding from the reserve portion to the main portion and vice versa, in

opposite directions according to drilling opera-,

tions and requirements, through the flange I2, which feature broadly is usual and well understood in the art..

The present. invention particularly concerns the construction-of flange I2 so that theobjects of the invention will be attained. To this end,

aslot I5 extends inwardly and obliquely from the periphery of the flange I2, as best shown in Figures 2 and 4, terminating at the shaft or hub II at the inner side of said flange but terminating short of the shaft or hub at the other side of the flange for an abrupt drop of the line resulting in the provision of a web I6 integral with the shaft and flange which functions dually in reinforcing the flange at the base of the slot and in the guidance of the line I4. Said slot I5 is somewhat wider than the diameter of the line so that there will be ample clearance for the travel of the latter.

As best seen in Figure 4, the side walls of slot I5 are preferably parallel to each other and oblique to the side surfaces of the flange so that the line I4 will pass through the slot approximately in the path of a coil. In addition, a groove I1 is provided in the inner face of flange I 2 concentric with the axis of shaft I I. This groove extends approximately around shaft II and the wall therein is transversely arcuate and of a size fitted by line I4 and merges with the periphery of shaft II. In addition, the apex of web I6 is convex at I8, longitudinally of the shaft but its upper surface throughout its length is transversely concave to fit the line and the groove I'I continues from the slot, and progressively decreases in depth in the direction away from the slot I5 to merge into the inner surface of flange I2, as at I9, as best shown in Figure 3. The length of groove I1 is governed somewhat by the diameter of the line.

Due to the construction described, the line l4 during drilling operations travels or passes through the flange from one side to the other, in either direction of travel, approximately in the path of a coil or a helix, avoiding specifically the usual bending, kinking, undue tensioning and mashing of the line, and thus with minimum wear on the line so that the life of a line is greatly enhanced. 7

Various changes may be resorted to, provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

While the flanges l2 and I3 and shaft it are 7 shown as inte ral, it is clear that they may be made up in sections, if desired, and, for instance,

as in the two part structure of Figure 6, in which the parts or sections designated A and B are de tachably fastened together and to a rotatable shaft 20, in any suitable manner, and which sections meet in a plane passing longitudinally and diametrically throughsaid flanges l2 and I3 and shaft 1 I. In such a construction, the tightening of the line also tightens the two sections on the shaft.

Especially, when a taut line is used, as in connection with a sand reel, the open end of slot ll may be suitably widened or enlarged to facilitate the introduction of the line, as suggested at 2| in Fig, 5 and 22 in Figure '7.

I claim: v v V 1. A spool, adapted for rotation having a hub, an outwardly extending flange on said hub, said. flange having an oblique slot therethrough for passage of a line, said flange having an arcuate groove of substantially more than 90 to be occupied by the line and located relatively close to the hub and approximately concentric with the axis of rotation, said groove at one end commum'cating with said slot and 'at the other end merge ing into said face, a line-guiding Web within said slot, said groove progressively decreasing in' depth in a direction away from said slot, and said lineguiding web presenting a surface across the 'base the other end merging into said face,'a line-gum of the slot which merges into the wall of the groove and increases in height in approximately a helical path in a direction away from the groove.

2. A spool adapted for rotation having a hub, an outwardly extending flange on said hub, said flange having a slotitherethrough for passage of a line, said slot following an approximately uninterrupted path non-radially from the hub, said flange having an arcuate groove of substantially more than to be occupied by the line and located relatively close to the hub and approximately concentric with the axis of rotation, said groove at one end communicating with, said slot and at the other end merging into said face, a line-guiding means within said slot, said groove progressively decreasing in depth in a direction away from said slot, and'said line-guiding means presenting a surface across the base of the slot which merges into the wall of the groove and increases in height in approximately a helical path in a direction away from the groove.

3. A spool adapted for rotation havinga hub, an outwardly extending flange on said hub, said flange having a slot therethrough oblique to one face of. the flange and oblique across the periphery of the flange for passage of a line, said flange having an arcuate groove of substantially more than 90 to 'be occupied by the line and located relatively close to the hub and approximately concentric with the axis of rotation, said groove at one end communicating with said slot and at ing web within said slot, said groove progressively decreasing in depth in a direction away from said slot, and said'line-guiding web having an abrupt drop at the side oppositeto the groove and presenting a surface across the base of the slot which merges into the wall of the groove and increases in height in approximately a helical V path in a direction away from the groove.

JAMES A. FOX. 

